Survival

Past, Present, and Future: Some thoughts On Intelligence.

~ Taran ~ 3 Comments

One of the underlying concepts of Artificial Intelligence, as the name suggests, is intelligence. A definition of intelligence that fits this bit of writing is from a John Hopkins Q&A:

“…Intelligence can be defined as the ability to solve complex problems or make decisions with outcomes benefiting the actor, and has evolved in lifeforms to adapt to diverse environments for their survival and reproduction. For animals, problem-solving and decision-making are functions of their nervous systems, including the brain, so intelligence is closely related to the nervous system…”

“Q&A – What Is Intelligence?“, Daeyeol Lee PhD, as quoted by Annika Weder, 5 October 2020.

This definition fits well, because in all the stuff about different writings related to different kinds of intelligences and human intelligence itself, the words of Arthur C. Clarke echo.

I’m not saying that what he wrote is right as much as it should make us think. He was good about making people think. The definition of intelligence above actually stands Clarke’s quote on it’s head because it ties intelligence to survival. In fact, if we are going to really discuss intelligence, the only sort of intelligence that matter is related to survival. It’s not about the individual as much as the species.

We only talk about intelligence in other ways because of our society, the education system, and it’s largely self-referential in those regards. Someone who can solve complex physics equations might be in a tribe in the Amazon right now, but if they can’t hunt or add value to their tribe, all of that intelligence – as high as some might think it is – means nothing. Their tribe might think of that person as the tribal idiot.

It’s about adapting and survival. This is important because of a paper that I read last week that gave me pause about the value-laden history of intelligence that causes the discussion of intelligence to fold in on itself:

“This paper argues that the concept of intelligence is highly value-laden in ways that impact on the field of AI and debates about its risks and opportunities. This value-ladenness stems from the historical use of the concept of intelligence in the legitimation of dominance hierarchies. The paper first provides a
brief overview of the history of this usage, looking at the role of intelligence in patriarchy, the logic of colonialism and scientific racism. It then highlights five ways in which this ideological
legacy might be interacting with debates about AI and its risks and opportunities: 1) how some aspects of the AI debate perpetuate the fetishization of intelligence; 2) how the fetishization of intelligence impacts on diversity in the technology industry; 3) how certain hopes for AI perpetuate notions of technology and the mastery of nature; 4) how the association of intelligence with the professional class misdirects concerns about AI; and 5) how the equation of intelligence and dominance fosters fears of superintelligence. This paper therefore takes a first step in bringing together the literature on
intelligence testing, eugenics and colonialism from a range of disciplines with that on the ethics and societal impact of AI.”

“The Problem with Intelligence: Its Value-Laden History and the Future of AI” (Abstract), Stephen Cave, Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence University of Cambridge, 07 February 2020.

It’s a thought provoking read, and one with some basis, citing examples from what should be considered the dark ages of society that still perpetuate within modern civilization in various ways. One image can encapsulate much of the paper:

Source: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3375627.3375813

The history of how intelligence has been used, and even become an ideology, has deep roots that go back in the West as far back as Plato. It’s little wonder that there is apparent rebellion against intelligence in modern society.

I’ll encourage people to read the paper itself – it has been cited numerous times. It lead me to questions about how this will impact learning models, since much that is out there inherits much of the value laden history demonstrated in the paper.

When we talk about intelligence of any sort, what exactly are we talking about? And when we discuss artificial intelligence, what man-made parts should we take with a grain of salt?

If the thought doesn’t bother you, maybe it should, because the only real intelligence that seems to matter is related to survival – and using intelligence ideologically is about the survival of those that prosper in the systems impacted by the ideology of intelligence – which includes billionaires, these days.

A New Chapter for Trinidad and Tobago

~ Taran ~ 1 Comment

P1070144
Petrotrin at night, courtesy Gavin, made available through this Creative Commons License.

I’ve never written about the oil and gas industry. I’m certainly no expert – there are plenty of people claiming to be with or without credentials, and I don’t wish to intrude upon their space.

Oil and gas, after all, is a messy affair. In Trinidad and Tobago, even more so since it has and continues to depend so much on this sector for income – something that I do write about in the context of diversifying the economy through technology, which in turn could finance further development in those areas. That’s crazy thinking in Trinidad and Tobago for anyone in a position to do anything about it.

So first I’m not going to write about Trinidad and Tobago. I’m going to write about a place few from Trinidad and Tobago have ventured to before I bring it all back to Trinidad and Tobago.

The place?

Beloit, Wisconsin Watertower
Photo by me, July, 2010.

Beloit, Wisconsin.

This was a place that Margaret Mead, a renowned cultural anthropologist, once called ‘America in microcosm’. Many families there once worked for a company some have heard of – General Motors (GM).

The nearby GM assembly plant was open in 1919, and lasted until 2009 – 90 years. So it was pretty much settled that as children grew up, they’d get a job at GM. In 1970, the peak employment of that plant was 7,000.

When I got to Beloit in 2010 or so, it was a very different Beloit. I didn’t get to see it on the upswing – I am too young for that – and I didn’t see it dwindle. I saw the results – a small economy within Wisconsin that had high unemployment and all the stuff that goes with it.

An interesting and unrelated thing to note is that the city fines people who don’t keep their lawns mowed or their houses painted. This had resulted in even small time criminals maintaining nice lawns, and some pretty annoyingly colored houses as a form of rebellion.

The economy was hyper-dependent on GM. And I expect that even now, the recovery from that weaning was difficult.

Now, Beloit was in a quandary when GM shut down operations in the area. They likely still are.

Downtown Beloit Sunset
Downtown Beloit at Sunset, also by me. 2012.

Yet, they have one of the most highly rated Main Streets, and in 2015 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index ranked the Janesville-Beloit metropolitan area #4 by how well they created and sustained jobs and economic growth.

I don’t know much about what happened when I left – what I do know is that Beloit was in trouble. And I saw opportunity for technology companies there – and some showed up, though I’m not certain how that all worked out.

But I do know one thing. Beloit’s still there.

Petrotrin oil refinery
Petrotrin Oil Refinery at Night, made available by Marc Aberdeen through this Creative Commons License.

Back to Trinidad and Tobago and Petrotrin: There are parallels with Beloit, and there are some things that are not. For example, Petrotrin is only a part of the oil and gas sector in Trinidad and Tobago – and also, it’s government owned – though the Wikipedia article presently discusses Petrotrin in a past tense.

This morning, I watched Curtis Williams say that the Trinidad and Tobago government bought the refinery, now being closed according to a leaked internal memo, to save 3,000 jobs. He went on to say that this seemingly remained the main thrust of what Petrotrin did in later years – profitability was never really seen as important.

Now, some people talk about this as a business – as they should. Still, the government buying the refinery was a risky proposition for the long term. But politics requires jobs – and every political party that has been in power has kept that ball in the air.

That ball in the air is now a can being kicked around on the ground now.

And so, the conversations about privatization I’ve seen have been lacking in understanding that it’s simply a bad business proposition for a private entity to run. The cost of production is, from most reports, too high.

Now, to be fair, I didn’t dig into the financials – I could, but if I dig into the books of any company, I’m only looking at what is reported – and no one has reported anything good.

So the question is whether it’s worth keeping at all. There’s enough inefficiency that it should be a wake up call; to me it seems an indictment of a culture that allowed it to happen – something no one in Trinidad and Tobago wants to hear.

But if they look carefully, they can see it.

I will point out that Beloit, Wisconsin has found ways to recover – and I’m pretty sure there are at least parts of it that are unpopular. Beloit survives. So will Trinidad and Tobago. But there are necessary differences between what they were and what they must become.

The time for thinking about economic diversification is over. With a lowering interest in oil and gas technologies, it’s time for the Government of Trinidad and Tobago – as well as it’s stakeholders, every citizen, to start working on that diversification.

Want things to change? Read more. Think more. Think about repercussions of actions at even the most personal of levels – there is opportunity in even the most dire of circumstances, if only the Government and people would get out of their own way.

Or you could paint your house a bright orange in protest – an appropriate mix of red and yellow political filters – and hope for the best.

I’m not a big fan of orange, yellow or red.